DARTMOUTH — The historic Akin House, Allen's Mill and other iconic buildings and pristine open spaces have found themselves safe from time, the elements and development over the past 10 years because of the Community Preservation Act, Community Preservation Committee Chairman Howard "Buddy" Baker-Smith said.

MATT CAMARA

DARTMOUTH — The historic Akin House, Allen's Mill and other iconic buildings and pristine open spaces have found themselves safe from time, the elements and development over the past 10 years because of the Community Preservation Act, Community Preservation Committee Chairman Howard "Buddy" Baker-Smith said.

Dartmouth adopted the act in April 2002 and proponents of the measure hailed 53 ongoing or completed projects over the past decade.

"These historic properties would have continued to deteriorate" without funds from the CPA, Baker-Smith said last week.

Statewide, the CPA funnels seed money from a surcharge of up to 3 percent on local real estate taxes into an account that is partially matched by state revenue from a fee on registries of deeds transactions. The committee then disburses the money to worthwhile projects throughout town ranging from open space preservation to affordable housing projects.

In Dartmouth, the CPA levies a 1.5 percent surcharge, meaning the average homeowner pays $35.71 per year, Baker-Smith said.

"It's been a boon for the town in many ways," said Select Board member William J. Trimble.

The committee has not performed flawlessly, however, Trimble said, adding that it once purchased farmland and placed a conservation restriction on it only to find that it was unsuitable for agriculture.

The town's practice of taking out bonds for conservation projects and then paying them back with CPA funds doesn't sit well with Trimble either, even though he regards the act as a positive overall.

"We just wouldn't be able to do those" projects, Trimble said.

At the historic Akin House on Dartmouth Street, preservationists feared that they would never be able to raise enough money to keep the 1762 home from collapsing in on itself, said Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust member Peggi Medeiros.

"It was touch and go on whether we'd raise the money" in time, she said.

The committee plans to continue allocating funds to projects such as the Russells Mills Library, the old State Police barracks on Route 6 that is being turned into affordable housing and other projects in the short-term, Baker-Smith said.

The town "has really found CPA funds to be a tremendous resource," he said. "Without CPA funds there would be no resources for the town government to support these projects."